Ridin' High

If this site's design wasn't based on Hot Tuna's Burgers, maybe it would have been based on Jerry Jeff Walker's Ridin' High. A rugged fella (JJW himself) on a horse riding into the dusk. Fantastic.

I don't buy much music these days, but it seems each year there is an artist or band that really impresses me and I go out and buy a handful of their albums. This year it's Jerry Jeff Walker.

A co-worker intruduced Jerry Jeff's music to me sometime last year. I liked it but didn't give it much notice. Then I saw Gordon Lightfoot in concert last fall. Gordon was chatting with the crowd and eventually he started talking about which musician of his ilk played, partied, and jammed the longest into the night. Gordon said it was Jerry Jeff Walker.

Well, there ya go. Endorsed by Gordon, I had to take a closer listen to Jerry Jeff so I ordered Viva Terlingua on vinyl. A few month later I ordered three more of his LPs. Then a few months after that I ordered yet another three Jerry Jeff LPs. I expect to get a few more in the coming months (I aim for the 99 cents plus shipping deals on ebay). Viva Terlingua is my favorite, but Ridin' High is a close runner-up.

What do I like about Jerry Jeff? First off, he fills a void in my music collection that I've been trying to fill for several years. It's entirely subjective, but Jerry Jeff to me is the missing link...the magnum creatum...the great unifying artist of the country, rock, and folk genres. Jerry Jeff is better known for his rowdy honky tonk anthems, but it's his tender ballads that keep me interested.

Today I bought two tickets to see Jerry Jeff live in concert on August 23 at the Minnesota Zoo. How 'bout that.